St. Bride’s church & Roman Pavement in Crypt

Where?

St. Bride’s, Fleet Street, The City · Web: stbrides.com

Opening times?

8 AM to 5 PM (Mon-Fri); 10 AM to 3.30 PM (Sat); 10 AM to 6.30 PM (Sun)

Visiting hours may change

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit is 30-45 mins

Parking:

Nearby car parks

Buses:

4, 11, 15, 23, 26, 76, 172

Bus fares

Trains:

The closest station is St. Paul’s Central

Other nearby stations: Blackfriars

Train fares

Craig’s review… There are so many churches in London that it’s impossible to see them all but here’s one that you might like to visit. You’ll find it tucked away inside a little courtyard off Fleet Street and I sometimes use it as one of my coffee stops when I’m strolling up to St. Paul’s. They’ve got a little tea cart outside the front porch and the guy is always sitting on his stool reading his book, brewing up a vat of tea that’s hot enough to melt your teeth.

Wren’s wedding cake steeple

Of the fifty-two city churches that Christopher Wren built after the Great Fire of London this is one of his most famous because of that spire, which inspired a local baker to make the very first three-tiered wedding cake.

It’s only a little church inside but the decorations are amazing (although not original to Wren). Everything is made out of carved wood and marble. The only paint they could find was gold paint and they’ve coloured every column top in it.

Roman pavement in the crypt

But wait… there’s more. When Adolf Hitler dropped a bomb on top he demolished everything except for the outer walls and steeple and uncovered a hidden crypt. If you took a poll of everyone walking down the street then I guarantee that hardly any of them will have heard of this place.

But what a find! They’ve got a tessellated pavement that dates back to Roman times, stone blocks from the Saxon period, floor tiles from before the Great Fire of London, and stacked up a load of tombstones that you have to clamber over ladders to see. There’s nearly two thousand years of history hiding underneath this church.

Worth a visit? ★★★Value for money? freeGood for kids? ☆☆☆Easy to get to? ★★★

I also recommend… If you enjoy this then try St. Bartholomew-the-Great (you can walk it 10 mins) and Temple Church (you can walk it in 4 mins). There’s another church museum with a piece of Roman pavement in the crypt of All Hallows by the Tower

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon

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